Food, and some Other Stuff

Return of the Mac

I’ve been reading a lot of articles lately about what types of foods are quintessentially American. It may seem to be kind of a weird question, but it does actually require a bit of digging. Since the inception of our country, our culture has been largely influenced and built by immigrants, so it goes without saying that our cuisine would develop in the same fashion. American cuisine is very heavily influenced by our European ancestry, so to find a dish that is truly American is harder than it sounds. But, we do have our staples: PB&J, Hot Wings (as I’ve said before, I don’t like the term “Buffalo Wings), Crab Cakes, Meatloaf, and, the much lesser-known but seeming to be the most original, Cioppino. But one of the most iconic American institutions, one that can be found from grocery store shelves to home kitchens and restaurants alike, is our focus for the 12th week of Reddit’s 52 Weeks of Cooking Challenge: Mac & Cheese!

Now, it would be easy to say that Mac & Cheese has it’s origins in Italy, where pasta and cheese have gone hand in hand for centuries. But it would be rare to find a pasta dish tossed in a thick, cheese-based sauce on any traditional menus. Like the name implies, there are two crucial component to the dish: Mac, as in pasta. Elbow macaroni is obviously the namesake, but any short, bite-sized noodles will do. For me, I think elbow macaroni is actually a pretty poor choice, considering the smooth surface doesn’t hold sauce very well. I prefer penne rigate, or rotini. Orecchiette are really nice too, but are much less widely available, and tend to be more expensive; Cheese, as in… cheese. Cheddar is really traditional, but this one is wide open for creativity. My nana normally uses a blend of cheddar, mozzarella and cream cheese, which makes for a super luscious sauce. With those two basic necessities in mind, you can get pretty wild with whatever else you want to throw in there, so long as you keep appropriate flavor profiles in mind. Nobody wants to eat lobster, white chocolate mac & cheese (I can’t find a link, but this was on Cutthroat Kitchen).

Rather than just one recipe this, I’ve got a bonus recipe from my lovely ladyfriend! The recipes are very different, mine obviously being much more chef-y and conceptual and hers more simple and homestyle, but both came out incredibly delicious in their own right.

The Chef-y: Monte Cristo Mac & Cheese

For those of you that have never experienced the joys of a Monte Cristo sandwich, it’s a ham and cheese (normally Swiss, gruyere, or emmentaler) served in between French Toast (occasionally the sandwich is assembled, then dipped in the egg batter and griddled), and topped with something sweet, like jam, maple syrup or powdered sugar. Ham is a pretty standard add-in for many mac & cheese recipes, so I thought it would be really easy to morph the mac into a Monte Cristo. I like to make a bechamel-based cheese sauce (Mornay, if anyone is checking) for my mac, so I start out by sauteing some onions in butter, then adding the diced ham to crisp it up a bit. Adding flour forms the roux, and adding milk to the roux makes a nice thick sauce. From there, I added gruyere, whole grain mustard, and maple syrup. The lady likes rotini for the mac, so we split a box. Standard pasta cooking procedures apply. The real trick to this one that makes it a Monte Cristo is French Toast breadcrumbs. I had never really done anything like this before, so obviously I was excited to try. I made a few pieces of French Toast using Alton Brown’s recipe plus a little vanilla, then dried them out in the oven and ground them into coarse, panko-like breadcrumbs. Surprisingly, they were still super flavorful and really completed the Monte Cristo feel. I think this recipe would be good to make for a crowd if you want to show off a bit; It’s got enough familiar elements to appeal to the masses, but enough different to set it apart.

In a deep saute pan or medium sauce pot, saute onions in butter until translucent. Add diced ham and cook until edges begin to crisp and brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over onion and ham, mixing thoroughly to form a roux. Add milk and mix to dissolve roux. Continue cooking over medium heat until milk is thickened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add cheese, mustard and maple syrup. Continue cooking until cheese is fully melted and incorporated, about 5 minutes. Add pasta and mix to coat thoroughly. Serve topped with French Toast breadcrumbs.

*As always, there is no substitute for Vermont Maple Syrup. Use the real stuff or don’t bother.

**Like I said, I used Alton Brown’s recipe, but feel free to use your favorite recipe. Dry the French Toast in the oven on the lowest setting possible until totally dry, like toast, then grind into coarse pieces with a food processor.

The Homestyle: Tomato and Swiss Chard Mac & Cheese

Like I said, this one if much less conceptual, if not entirely non-conceptual, than my own. That being said, it came out just as fantastically. Since she was really just using whatever we had around, I really don’t have as much to write about outside of the recipe itself. And I think that’s part of what I really enjoy about it; it doesn’t have to have some deep explanation or some bigger reasoning behind the way it is, and yet it is still super delicious, and really approachable.